Public opinion on Labour’s progress still low

Despite Labour gaining ground in voting intention polls, public opinion of the Government’s handling of the key issues of the economy and education remains markedly low.

A survey commissioned by the Sun newspaper found that 77% of the British public think that the progress made by the Government in establishing a strong economy has been less than impressive. This figure should come as no surprise as the effect of the recent recession is still being felt by most people in the country.

Voting intention

Questions regarding the public’s perception on Government progress should be analyzed keeping the results of voting intention in mind. This is because, in most instances, individuals will behave in a partisan manner when making a decision to support, or not support, a government’s initiative. For example, we see that a colossal 95% of Conservative panellists are less than pleased with economic progress made by the Labour government, compared to 75% for the Lib Dem and 49% for Labour respondents.

This phenomenon may go some way in explaining the apparent anomaly between Labour’s gained ground and the negative findings of the survey. What is clear from the figures is that all three parties have significant numbers of supporters, or would-be supporters, who are unhappy with the Labour Government’s handling of the economy – representing a significant portion of the population.

Education, education...education?

Regarding education, Conservative and Lib Dem sentiments on the Government’s progress is notably more polarized, with 78% and 58%, respectively, dissatisfied with the Government’s progress, compared to 68% of Labour panellists saying that there has been significant improvement. This too comes as no surprise, as the Conservative opposition are planning a total overhaul of the education systems, including the introduction of free schools, if they win the next election.